Fighting on border with Cambodia displaces 15,000 Thais

In the fourth day of fighting, shelling began at 8:10 am (0110 GMT) near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

The fighting has killed two on the Thai side - one soldier and one civilian - and injured 31 while forcing 15,000 Thai civilians to flee their homes in Si Sa Ket province, 450 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, Thai officials said.

Cambodian sources said their side had suffered three dead: two soldiers and one civilian.

Both governments claimed the other side started the fighting in the border area near Preah Vihear, which has been a bone of contention between the two countries for more than a half-century.

Phay Siphan said a wall of the Hindu monument had been damaged by Thai artillery fire Sunday.

"Thailand will keep shooting as long as the Cambodians are shooting at us," Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Keowkhamnerd said.

On Saturday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a letter to the UN Security Council, claiming that Thai shells had fallen 20 kilometres inside Cambodia and damaged Preah Vihear, Trend News reports.

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